Kings in the Corner

←/→ choose a hand card1–8 play onto that pileEnter play (when one home fits)E end turn (draw)Esc put it back

How to play Kings in the Corner

The kitchen-table game you learned from a grandparent and haven't seen since. One deck, one opponent, and a cross of piles around the draw pile.

  1. You and the AI each get seven cards. Four cards go face-up in a cross around the draw pile; the four corner spots start empty.
  2. On your turn, play as many cards as you like from your hand:
    • Onto a side or corner pile in descending order, alternating colors — a red 9 on a black 10.
    • A king into any empty corner (only kings open corners).
    • Any card into an empty side spot.
    • Or slide a whole pile onto another pile when its bottom card continues the run.
  3. Click End turn when you're done — you draw one card and the AI plays.
  4. First to empty their hand wins.

Playing is click-to-move: tap a hand card or a pile to pick it up, and every legal destination lights up.

Keyboard controls

The board reads like a phone keypad: 1–8 address the eight piles in reading order, corners included. ←/→ walks a highlight through your hand; with a card raised, a pile's number plays it there (Enter works too when only one pile fits). Press a side pile's number with nothing selected to pick the whole pile up, then a second number to move it. E ends your turn and draws; Esc puts a selection back.

Tips

  • Corners first. A king in hand does nothing — it can't land on any card. Open corners the moment you can.
  • Move piles before playing cards. Sliding a pile away opens an empty side spot that takes any card — often the only exit for a stuck king-blocked hand. Look for pile moves before you play anything.
  • Watch what the runs need. If both black tens are buried, your red nines are stranded — spend them into an empty spot when you get the chance instead of waiting.
  • Ending early isn't losing tempo. Sometimes holding a playable card keeps a spot open for something worse you might draw. The draw is coming either way.

The daily deal

Switch to Daily mode and you get the same deal as every other player that day — same hands, same upcards, same relaxed opponent playing the same way. Win it and share a spoiler-free result. And like everything here, it passes the alt-tab test: the game saves after every play, mid turn included, so you can vanish when your build finishes and the table is exactly as you left it.

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of Kings in the Corner?

Each player gets seven cards, four cards go face-up around a central draw pile, and the four diagonal corner spots start empty. On your turn, play as many cards as you can: cards go onto the piles in descending order with alternating colors (a red nine on a black ten), kings alone may open a corner, and whole piles can move onto other piles when they fit. Ending your turn draws you a card. First player to empty their hand wins.

Why can only kings go in the corners?

That's the game's namesake rule. Corners are premium real estate — a king opens one, and a fresh descending run builds on top of it. Since kings can never be played onto another card (nothing outranks them), the corners are the only way to get them out of your hand.

Can I move a whole pile onto another pile?

Yes, when the moved pile's bottom card continues the target pile's run — one rank lower, opposite color. Moving a pile empties its spot, and an empty side spot accepts any card, which is often the real point of the move.

What happens when the draw pile runs out?

Play continues without drawing — turns just end without picking up a card. If both players pass in a row with nothing to play, the game ends and whoever holds fewer cards wins; an equal count is a draw.

Is Kings in the Corner played with a regular deck?

Yes — one standard 52-card deck, no jokers. That's part of its kitchen-table charm: it needs nothing but cards, and it plays fast.

Is the computer opponent hard to beat?

It's deliberately relaxed. It plays a sensible greedy game — kings to corners, dumping what fits — but it doesn't plan ahead. A player who sets up pile moves before playing cards will beat it more often than not, and that's by design.

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